Australian Prime Minister marks National Day by knighting British prince

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott marked his country’s national day Monday by honouring Britain’s Prince Philip (pictured) with a knighthood, sparking criticism from the opposition of being in a “time warp”. Abbott said Queen Elizabeth II had accepted his recommendation that her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, be awarded the nation’s highest honour as a Knight of the Order of Australia. Abbott reintroduced knights and dames to the country’s honours list in 2014, prompting ridicule from opposition Labor lawmakers who said it was proof the prime minister was behind the times.

On Australia Day – where we’re talking about Australia, Australian identity – the government’s managed to find a British royal to give a medal to, a knighthood to. I wasn’t quite sure it was serious until I realised it was.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten told Fairfax radio

Opposition leader Bill Shorten, who on the weekend called for a mature debate on becoming a republic and having an Australian head of state, said the surprise decision was out of step with the public mindset. Abbott defended his decision, saying the queen’s husband is the patron of hundreds of Australian organisations. Asked to respond to criticism on social media, much of which has appeared under the hashtag #jokeknighthood, he said he would “leave social media to its own devices”.

Social media is kind of like electronic graffiti and I think that in the media you make a big mistake to pay too much attention to [it].

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott

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